1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for cutting food products comprising zones, generally layers, having different cutting characteristics.
2. Description of Related Art
Apparatus of this type is known, for example, from EP-A-0 614 733. This prior art document describes the presence of a pair of cutting devices (ultrasound blades) driven by a rod and crank mechanism on a member which can travel in synchronism with, and so as to follow food products which advance on a conveyor.
This solution constitutes an example of the many conventional solutions used for cutting food products in industrial plants for the manufacture of such products. The operating criteria and types of such apparatus are in fact extremely varied.
The automatic cutting of food products in such a context must take account of a series of factors which are becoming ever more important as conditions.
In the first place, the productional capacities of such plants, and hence the rate at which it is necessary to carry out the cutting, tend to increase continuously.
In the second place, the products treated are often delicate and cannot withstand very violent handling which could damage the product and/or cause the breaking away of fragments, crumbs and particles which can soil the plant itself.
Yet again, many food products have an intrinsically non-homogeneous character in the sense that they are not constituted by a single food substance but rather by a combination of food substances which may be very different from each other: it suffices to think, for example, of filled and/or layered products.